Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

who is the former Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows ''The Apprentice'', ''

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: Actual survivors * *Last survivors of historical events Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Found ...

'', ''The Voice'', and ''

Shark Tank ''Shark Tank'' is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC.Hibberd, James (May 10, 201'Dancing,' 'Bachelor,' and a bigger 'Shark Tank' returning to ABCInsider TV. Retrieved June 24, 2012 The show i ...

''. Burnett-produced TV series have been nominated for a total of 143 Emmys. He has personally won twelve

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, five Producers Guild of America Awards, ten Critics' Choice Television Awards, and nine

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

. As of 2022, Burnett is the executive producer of five current network television shows, as well as several cable series. For five consecutive years, Burnett has been included in the Variety500, an index of the 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry. Under Burnett's leadership, MGM has expanded its cable TV business through the acquisitions of Evolution Media (e.g., ''Botched'', ''Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'', ''Real Housewives of Orange County'') and Big Fish Entertainment (''Live PD'', ''Black Ink Crew''). Burnett additionally produced the

Christian media Christian media, sometimes referred to as inspirational, faith and family, or simply Christian, is a cross-media genre that features a Christian message or moral. Several creative studios and mass media formats are considered to be aspects of C ...

series ''

The Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

'' and ''

A.D. The Bible Continues ''A.D. The Bible Continues'' (also known as ''A.D. Kingdom and Empire'') is an American Biblical epic, biblical Dramatic programming, drama television miniseries, based on the Bible, and a sequel to the 2013 miniseries, ''The Bible (miniseries), ...

'', as well as the feature films '' Son of God'', '' Little Boy'', '' Woodlawn'', and ''

Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to: Fiction *'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace ** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899 ** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...

''.

Early life

Burnett was born on 17 July 1960 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the only child of Archie and Jean Burnett, both Ford Motors factory workers, and was raised in

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

. His father was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and his mother was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

; it is not known in which denomination he was raised. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, and became a Section Commander in the Parachute Regiment. From 1978 to 1982 he served with the

3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (3 PARA), is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade. Roled as an Airborne light infantry unit, the battalion is capable ...

in C Company and saw action during the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. After his service, he initially planned to go to

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and work as a " weapons and tactics adviser".

Early career

In October 1982, Burnett emigrated to the United States, where his friend Nick Hill, who had emigrated from the UK earlier, was working as a nanny and

chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine. Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...

. Hill knew of an open position for a live-in nanny with the Jaeger family in affluent

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. Despite having no experience as a nanny, Burnett went on the interview. The Jaegers, realizing the advantage of having a nanny and security at the same time, hired him. After a year of working for the Jaegers, he moved on to another family in Malibu, California, taking care of two boys for $250 a week. He was eventually given a position in the insurance office owned by the boys' father. Two years later, Burnett rented a portion of a fence at Venice Beach in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and sold T-shirts for $18 each during weekends. Realizing he made more money selling T-shirts, he left his insurance job. In 1991, Burnett and four others joined a French adventure competition, the

Raid Gauloises The Raid Gauloise or The Raid is considered by many to be the first modern expedition adventure race and was first held in 1989 in New Zealand as "la grande traversée". Its creator, Gérard Fusil, took the existing concept of long distance endura ...

. Afterward, Burnett saw a business opportunity in holding similar competitions. He purchased the format rights and brought a similar competition, ''

Eco-Challenge ''Eco-Challenge: The Expedition Race'' is a multi-day expedition length adventure race in which teams of four (five in the early years) competed. It originally aired on TV from April 1995 to April 2002. Based closely on the Raid Gauloises advent ...

'', to America. Eco-Challenge launched Burnett's career as a television producer.

Productions

Burnett first produced the expedition race show ''

'' in 1995. This led to the hit reality show ''Survivor'' which premiered in the summer of 2000 and was the most watched summer series since '' Sonny and Cher''. ''Survivor'' was named the Number 1 reality series of all time by Entertainment Weekly in 2009. In 2004, NBC premiered ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...

'', a reality television series in which contestants competed for a job under real estate magnate and former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. Burnett has produced several other television franchises including: '' Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?'', ''

'', '' The Voice'', '' Beat Shazam'', '' Coupled'' and '' TKO: Total Knock Out''. He has maintained a strong presence in award show franchises, having produced the MTV Movie Awards (2007–2011), the annual

(2010–2017), the

Spike Video Game Awards The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ...

(2011 & 2012) and the 2011 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Burnett has produced more than 3,200 hours of television programming which regularly airs in more than 70 countries. Past shows include '' Celebrity Apprentice'' (NBC), '' Bully Beatdown'', '' Combat Missions'', '' The Contender'', ''

The Contender Asia ''The Contender Asia'' (known as The Contender: Kickboxer in the United Kingdom, and The Contender: Muay Thai in the United States) was a reality-based television series that follows 16 Muay Thai middleweight fighters from 12 countries as they ...

'', ''

Expedition Africa ''Expedition Africa'' is an eight-part reality television miniseries that originally aired from to on History. Produced by Mark Burnett, the program follows four modern day explorers—a navigator, a wildlife expert, a survivalist, and a journ ...

'', '' Expedition Impossible'', ''

How'd You Get So Rich? ''How'd You Get So Rich?'' is an American reality television series hosted by comedian Joan Rivers. The series premiered on TV Land on August 5, 2009, and consisted of six weekly half-hour episodes. ''How'd You Get So Rich?'' was created and execu ...

'', ''

Martha Stewart Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...

'', ''

My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad ''My Dad Is Better than Your Dad'' is a reality sports TV show on NBC that premiered on February 18, 2008. The show was produced by Mark Burnett, producer of other shows like '' Survivor'', ''The Apprentice'', and '' Are You Smarter Than a 5th G ...

'', '' On the Lot'' (a collaboration with Steven Spielberg), ''

Pirate Master ''Pirate Master'' is an American reality television show created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on CBS. The show followed sixteen modern-day pirates on their quest for a gold treasure valued at US$1,000,000. The show was hosted by Cameron Daddo a ...

'', '' The Restaurant'', '' Rock Star'', ''

Sarah Palin's Alaska ''Sarah Palin's Alaska'' is an American reality television show hosted by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.de Moraes, Lisa (March 25, 2010)"Discovery makes it official: 'Sarah Palin's Alaska' to TLC" ''The Washington Post'' According to Palin, ...

'', ''

Stars Earn Stripes ''Stars Earn Stripes'' is a reality television program that aired for one season on NBC beginning August 13, 2012. Produced by Mark Burnett, the series follows a group of celebrities, accompanied by current and former members of the United State ...

'', ''

Starmaker ''Star Maker'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Olaf Stapledon, published in 1937. The book describes a history of life in the universe, dwarfing in scale Stapledon's previous book, ''Last and First Men'' (1930), a history of the hu ...

'', ''

Toughest Cowboy ''Toughest Cowboy'' was an American rodeo competition-based reality television program that followed twelve professional cowboys as they competed in the three professional roughstock rodeo events — bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding an ...

'', and ''Wedding Day''. As well as his ongoing productions, Burnett and his wife, actress Roma Downey, produced ''

'', a 10-hour History Channel drama based upon stories of

the Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. ''

'' became the No. 1 new series on cable TV in 2013Press Release
Roma Downey And Mark Burnett's #1 New Cable Series THE BIBLE Is Also A New York Times Best Seller, Dominating Amazon And Is #1 On iTunes And #1 On Twitter
25 March 2013. and was the No. 1 series in Canada, Spain, and Portugal. In total, with subsequent airings, ''The Bible'' was seen by more than 100 million viewers. After the success of ''The Bible'', Burnett and Downey started developing more faith-based scripted series. ''A.D. The Bible Continues'' premiered on NBC on Easter Sunday 2015, and ''The Dovekeepers'' miniseries aired on CBS in Spring 2015. In September 2014, MGM acquired a 55 percent interest in One Three Media and LightWorkers Media. The two companies were consolidated into a new film and television company,

United Artists Media Group United Artists Television (UATV) was an American television production/distribution studio of United Artists Corporation that was formed on New Year's Day (January 1), 1958. The company is remembered for producing series such as ''This Man Dawson ...

which was then acquired fully by MGM in 2015. In December 2015, Burnett was named president of MGM Television and Digital Group, signing a five-year deal. Burnett's appointment was set up to occur simultaneously with the closing of MGM's acquisition of the remaining 45 percent of Hearst's, Burnett's and Roma Downey's interests in United Artists Media Group (UAMG), which would be absorbed under the MGM Television Group umbrella. MGM Television would now have numerous unscripted and scripted television shows airing on network and cable or in production including: ''The Voice'' (NBC); ''Survivor'' (CBS); ''Shark Tank'' (ABC); ''Beyond the Tank'' (ABC); ''Celebrity Apprentice'' (NBC); ''Fargo'' (FX); ''Vikings'' (HISTORY); ''Teen Wolf'' (MTV); ''500 Questions'' (ABC); ''The People's Choice Awards'' (CBS);

LIGHT TV Light TV may refer to: *Light TV, a former name of the American television network TheGrio *Light TV, a subchannel of Philippine TV station DZOZ-DTV **Light TV, a related network of ZOE Broadcasting Network ZOE Broadcasting Network, Inc. (ZOE ...

, ''Lucha Underground'' (El Rey Network), and ''America's Greatest Makers'' (INTEL/Turner). In June 2018, MGM appointed Burnett as Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television. As of 2022, Burnett is the executive producer of five network television shows: '' Generation Gap'' (ABC), '' Beat Shazam'' (FOX), ''

'' (ABC), ''

'' (CBS) and '' The Voice'' (NBC). Burnett is also the executive producer of the cable series ''

Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...

'' (The El Rey Network) and '' The Contender'' (EPIX). In 2017, Burnett had timeslot winning shows on six nights out of seven. Moreover, as Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television he oversees scripted television shows including, '' Fargo'' (FX), ''

The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which h ...

'' (Hulu), ''

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

'' and '' Vikings: Valhalla'' (Netflix).

Personal life

Burnett's first wife was

Kym Gold Kym Gold is an American fashion and home design executive. She is the founder of Bella Dahl, Hippie Jeans, Babakul, and Style Union Home, and the co-founder of designer jeans brand True Religion. Gold's designs have been worn by David Beckham, To ...

, but that marriage only lasted about a year. Before that marriage ended he met Dianne J. Burnett (''née'' Valentine) and they married in 1992; they have two sons together, James and Cameron. In 2014, Cameron survived a neuroendocrine tumor at the age of 17, had brain surgery and had to learn to walk again. He was awarded the 2015 Courage Award at the Visionary Ball which raises money each year for

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

's Department of Neurosurgery. The couple filed for legal separation in September 2002 and a judgment for legal separation was granted in December 2003; they divorced in 2006. In January 2004, Burnett began dating Roma Downey. In November 2006, while the two were vacationing with their children in Zihuatanejo,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, he proposed to her. They wed on 28 April 2007 in their Malibu home. The ceremony was officiated by Downey's former co-star,

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

Awards, honors and affiliations

In 2004, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine called Burnett one of the Most Influential People in the World Today. Burnett was also named "Philanthropist of the Year" by the Reality Cares Foundation. He has won both Brandweek's "Marketer of the Year Award", the prestigious Rose d'Or Frapa Format Award, the Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award and the Norman Lear Award from the Producers Guild of America. Burnett served for two years on the board of directors for the

British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. In November 2007, Burnett was elected into the Broadcast & Cable Hall of Fame and in 2008, it was announced that he would be honoured with a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

. On 8 July 2009, Burnett received a star at 6664 Hollywood Blvd. In June 2011, Burnett was elected into the Producers Guild of America Council Board of Delegates and currently serves on the Producers Council. He is an ambassador for

Operation Smile Operation Smile is a nonprofit medical service organization founded in 1982 by Dr. William P. Magee Jr. and his wife Kathleen (Kathy) S. Magee. It is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to providing cleft lip and palate repair ...

. In 2013, the ten-hour mini-series ''The Bible'' received the Parents Television Council 2013 Seal of Approval. ''

'', '' The Voice'', and ''

'' were all nominated for Critics Choice Awards, at which the Voice won for Best Reality Series – Competition. The three shows were nominated for the

Television Critics Association Awards The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer towards the end of the organization's summer press tour. Due to ...

, at which ''Shark Tank'' won for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming.The Television Critics Association Announces 2013 TCA Award Nominees , Television Critics Association
. Tvcritics.org (10 June 2013). Retrieved on 23 October 2013. In 2013, ''The Voice'', ''Shark Tank'' and ''The Bible'' were nominated for

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

; ''The Voice'' won for Outstanding Reality – Competition Program. ''The Voice'' and ''Shark Tank'' were nominated at the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards, at which ''Shark Tank'' won for Best Reality Series. In 2014, Burnett was named the "Number 1 Reality Producer" on the ''Hollywood Reporter'' Reality Power List. In 2014, Burnett and his wife Roma Downey were recipients of the

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

's Entertainment Industry Award. He and Downey are heavily involved with philanthropic organizations

and

Compassion International Compassion International is an American child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that aims to positively influence the long-term development of children globally who live in pover ...

. In 2015, they partnered with the Institute for Global Engagement to launch the Cradle Fund (TCF). TCF is focused on raising $25 million to help Middle Eastern minorities displaced by ISIS to return to a home where they can practice their faith without fear. As of 2019, they have helped more than 10,000 displaced Christian refugees to relocate.

Awards

Special Awards *2004: Brandweek Marketer of the Year Award *2004: Reality Cares Foundation 'Philanthropist of the Year' *2004: ' Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award' *2004: ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

'': 'Time 100: 100 Most Influential People in the World Today' *2005: Rose d'Or Frapa Format Award *2009: Producers Guild of America 'Norman Lear Award' *2009:

Star: 'Excellence in Television' *2010: Producers Guild of America 'Lifetime Achievement Award in Television' *2013:

TV Guide Magazine ''TV Guide'' is an American biweekly magazine that provides television program listings information as well as television-related news, celebrity interviews and gossip, film reviews, crossword puzzles, and, in some issues, horoscopes. The print ...

'Producer of the Year' *2013:

The Dove Foundation The Dove Foundation is an American non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, that issues film reviews, ratings and endorsements of movies that it considers suitable for family audiences, and that bases said reviews on Christian values. D ...

Recognition of 'Son of God' *2014:

'Entertainment Award'

Nominations and wins

As reflected in the following chart, Burnett has been nominated for many television industry awards between 1999 and 2018, including Emmy Awards, Critics Choice Awards, Producers Guild of America Awards, People's Choice Awards, and more.

Published works

*Mark Burnett; Martin Dugard (2000). ''Survivor: the Ultimate'' ''Game''. New York: TV Books, L. L. C. . * *

References

External links

* *
''SWINDLE Magazine'' Interview with Mark Burnett

Corporate page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Mark 1960 births American evangelicals American reality television producers Television producers from California British Army personnel of the Falklands War British Christians British emigrants to the United States British expatriates in the United States British Parachute Regiment soldiers Businesspeople from California Businesspeople from London Emmy Award winners Living people People from Dagenham People from Malibu, California Primetime Emmy Award winners

Early life

Early career

Productions

Personal life

Awards, honors and affiliations

Awards

Nominations and wins

Published works

See also

References

External links